Destination: Guatemala

Back home on Bainbridge Is. with Rainier in my sights

Sat, 23 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Views [447]

Yesterday we arrived back in the US of A with wonderful memories of a second home in Xela and an appointment with a mountain named Rainier.

Calm

Sat, 23 May 2009 | By enrique_nunez_mussa | Views [1502]

In Antigua there is a system of secondhand books that with some luck makes possible to find good books for cheap prices. The tourists leave their old books and can exchange or buy others with a discount, but it is not a requirement to be able to buy.... Read more >

Gallery: Week 9 - Antigua, Guate & home

Fri, 22 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Photo Gallery

Profe

Fri, 22 May 2009 | By enrique_nunez_mussa | Views [1961]

Let's speak about the classroom. The desks are distributed in three rows. They are of wood and metal, painted in yellow and soft blue already peeled. Now let's speak what happens inside the room. From already I warn that it is not very different from ... Read more >

Last Supper

Thu, 21 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Views [668] | Comments [2]

We took our Guate hosts for the evening--Raquel & Gustavo with sons Estuart and Samuel--for a delightful dinner and Spanish conversation at the Italian restaurant L'Osteria. Unfortunately I did not manage to get a photo of all of us, but Raquel snapped ... Read more >

Central Square in Guatemala City

Thu, 21 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Views [1582]

Only spent one afternoon and evening in Guate. Took a walk up to the central square with its cathedral and fountain so typical of the cities from colonial times.

Gallery: T2C--Hiking Volcán de Pacaya

Thu, 21 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Photo Gallery

Capuchinas Convent

Thu, 21 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Views [1253]

The morning of our last day we visited the Capuchinas Convent, one of my favorite sites in Antigua. It is the most restored of earlier churches depicting the circular convent for the nuns. Here is the courtyard with Theora peaking out from one of the ... Read more >

Cross the rope

Thu, 21 May 2009 | By enrique_nunez_mussa | Views [1180]

I have been going to bed early every night so I havn’t seen how is Antigua when it gets dark. I obtain a magazine for tourists with cultural panoramas and decide to see a movie at night. Before I will teach my classes as it has to be, I will speak ... Read more >

Rains

Wed, 20 May 2009 | By enrique_nunez_mussa | Views [745]

The days have been sunny. The heat is something humid, but commfortable. They have said to me that Guatemala has the perfect weather and I am nearby to believe it. So I decide to use shorts for the first time in this trip. Beyond that a girl asked ... Read more >

T2C--Tom decides to stick it to the lava

Tue, 19 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Views [459] | Video

I wanted to experience what it would like to push my walking stick into molten lava. It had a thick, gooey plasticity that yielded to my pusing. It was also, HOT.

Tags: lave, pacaya

T2C--Lava flow up close

Tue, 19 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Views [456] | Video

Check out the flow of the lava and Theora's commentary.

T2C--Pacaya Hike--Lava Flow Up Close

Tue, 19 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Views [474] | Video

Here is a Frenchman and his buddy trying to get a close up with the flow.

Tags: lava, pacaya

T2C--Hiking to the lava flow of Volcán Pacaya

Tue, 19 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Views [544] | Video

My friends Rod and Lori and their two kids recently visited Guatemala and recommended this trip, as did all my classmates who visited Pacaya and returned to the school. The objective was to reach the lava flowing from Pacaya and roast marshmallows. ... Read more >

Tags: lava, pacaya

T2C--Hiking Route to Pacaya

Tue, 19 May 2009 | By tom_moench | Views [1378]

The hike to Pacaya was not particularly difficult. The route is shown here on this trail map: 2.28 km (1.4 miles) with an elevation gain of 302 m (990 ft). Some people hire horses -- see "caballo y guia" photo in gallery.